Irish underdog puts World Championship time trial into perspective thanks to Finlay Tarling's death: 'Now that's real suffering'

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Tuesday, 22 September 2026 at 09:48
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Seth Dunwoody did not play a significant role in Monday’s U23 Men’s Time Trial World Championship, but the 20-year-old Irishman from Bahrain Victorious still made an impression. After completing his individual time trial, the lanky sprinter spoke in the mixed zone about the late Finlay Tarling.
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Dunwoody had expected much more from the World Time Trial Championships, but a crash derailed his ambitions. The Irishman, who is still riding for the Bahrain Victorious development team this year, reassured everyone: “I’m okay. It was mostly a mental blow—it hit me harder mentally than physically. But hey, what can you do?”
When asked about the reason for his crash, Dunwoody pointed not only to his race but also to the past few weeks. “Behind the scenes, it really took a lot of effort for me to even be here,” he said, first referring to a crash in the Tour de l’Avenir in August. "I had 12 stitches in my shin."
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Finlay Tarling's death uts the World Championship into Pperspective

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"Two weeks ago, I didn't even know if I'd be traveling to Montréal," said Dunwoody, who, as a result, wasn't too disappointed about his crash in the time trial. “The fact that I’m actually here was, in a way, already a victory for me. I had nothing to lose, because, to be honest, it’s a miracle and a blessing that I made it to the World Championships.”
Another challenge during World Championship preparations was mental, following the death of Finlay Tarling in the Tour of Portugal after a crash with a car on the course. “This crash wasn’t really suffering. Suffering is when you lose your little brother on a bike—that’s real suffering. Crashing at a World Championship isn’t real pain; cycling isn’t the most important thing in life.”
"That thought helps you keep going—I've learned a lot from my friends in that regard. The past season has been really tough, and of course, I didn't come to the World Championships to crash."
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